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Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Citizen of One, Citizen of the Whole – Press release

June 21, 2010
in Canada's Political Tradition - papers, Domestic Policy Program, Economic policy, Economy Policy - papers, Papers, Releases
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
Only Ottawa can tear down barriers between Canadians:Think tank proposes Economic Charter of Rights

(Le français suit)

Ottawa, June 21, 2010 — The Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a new non-partisan Ottawa think tank, today issued a study, “Citizen of One, Citizen of the Whole”, calling on the federal government to use its constitutional authority to strike down internal barriers to free trade and mobility within Canada. The key proposals of the study call for the legislation of an Economic Charter of Rights for Canadians and the creation of an Economic Freedom Commission. The Commission would have the power to investigate breaches of the Economic Charter on its own initiative or in response to citizens’ complaints.

The proposal is written by Robert H. Knox, a leading expert on internal trade barriers in Canada who served as Executive Director of the Internal Trade Secretariat in the early 1990s, Brian Lee Crowley, Managing Director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, and John Robson, Managing Editor of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute. The authors provide a dynamic assertion of economic freedom for Canadians and a vindication of the vision of the Fathers of Confederation that Canada should be one economic space. A number of prominent Canadians have indicated their support for the recommendation that the federal government enact an Economic Charter and establish an Economic Freedom Commission.
In releasing “Citizen of One”, Brian Lee Crowley said “The people who founded Canada were convinced that creating an immense internal free market, spanning the North American continent, would not merely bring us prosperity but give us a firm sense of nationhood. The ongoing failure of governments to make that vision a reality has made us poorer. It has also undermined national unity, helping to turn us from fellow citizens into strangers who are suspicious of each other.”
Robert Knox added, “We believe that releasing this study on the eve of the G8 and G20 Summits in Canada underscores the paradox that, as Canada advocates freer global trade to offset the impact of the recession, and as we seek to make NAFTA even more effective in lowering continental trade barriers, we do not always practise what we preach at home.”
Knox, Crowley and Robson point out that while internal barriers to the free movement of goods, services, labour and capital have almost no principled defence, they proliferate in such petty profusion that no one studying the issue has ever even tried to list them all. Various estimates of their economic cost are necessarily imprecise, but confirm that they are harmful.
The authors also show that, when Confederation was debated and ratified, the federal government was clearly given the power to prevent or remove such barriers, for the sake of our common citizenship as well as our wallets. They demonstrate that the jurisprudence around the issue is strikingly clear: The federal government, while fully respecting legitimate provincial jurisdictions, has undoubted authority to remove barriers whose main goal or impact is protectionist interference with Canadians’ economic freedom. And they show that alternative approaches involving interprovincial negotiation, with or without the federal government, have failed to deliver the benefits individual Canadians need and deserve.
“Our proposal is good for all Canadians and good for their governments,” Crowley said. “It means greater prosperity, a stronger sense of nationhood, and a clearing of the cluttered agenda of provincial and territorial governments. It is an idea whose time has come.”
The Macdonald-Laurier Institute is the only non-partisan, independent national public policy think tank based in Ottawa that focuses on the full range of issues that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

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For more information or to arrange interviews with the authors, please contact the Director of Communications, George Young at george.young@macdonaldlaurier.ca or Stephanie Delorme at stephanie.delorme@macdonaldlaurier.ca or (613) 482-8327.
Copies of the full report are available by request or can be downloaded at www.macdonaldlaurier.ca.

Seul Ottawa peut éliminer les barrières au Canada: l’Institut Macdonald-Laurier propose une Charte des droits économiques

Ottawa, le 21 juin 2010 – L’Institut Macdonald-Laurier, un institut de politiques publiques unique nouvellement établi à Ottawa, a dévoilé aujourd’hui une étude, « Citoyen de l’une, citoyen de toutes », qui encourage le gouvernement fédéral à utiliser son pouvoir constitutionnel pour faire en sorte qu’il n’y ait aucune restriction ou obstacle au libre mouvement des personnes, produits, services et investissements au Canada. La recommandation principale des auteurs est la création d’une Charte canadienne des droits économiques ainsi qu’une Commission sur la liberté économique avec le pouvoir d’enquêter les entraves aux libertés économiques des Canadiens de son propre chef ou en réponse aux plaintes de citoyens.

Les auteurs de cette recommandation sont Robert H. Knox, un expert sur les barrières internes au commerce canadien qui a travaillé comme directeur exécutif au Secrétariat du commerce intérieur au début des années 1990, Brian Lee Crowley, Directeur général de l’Institut Macdonald-Laurier, et John Robson, Directeur des publications à l’Institut Macdonald-Laurier. Les auteurs nous présentent une affirmation dynamique de la liberté économique des Canadiens ainsi qu’une défense de la vision des Pères de la Confédération qui voulaient faire en sorte que le Canada soit un grand espace économique libre. Plusieurs Canadiens distingués appuient cette recommandation pour faire en sorte que le gouvernement fédéral institue une Charte canadienne des droits économiques ainsi qu’un Commission sur la liberté économique.
En dévoilant « Citoyen de l’une », Brian Lee Crowley déclare : « Les gens qui ont fondé le Canada étaient convaincus que la création d’un immense libre marché interne, d’un bout de l’Amérique du Nord à l’autre, nous apporterait non seulement la prospérité mais nous donnerait en plus un sens accru de nationalité commune. L’échec constant des gouvernements de faire de cette vision une réalité nous a rendus plus pauvres, en plus de nuire à l’unité nationale en faisant de nous des adversaires et non des alliés, des étrangers et non des concitoyens. »
Robert Knox ajoute : « Nous croyons qu’en dévoilant cette étude à la veille des sommets du G8 et du G20 au Canada nous soulignons le paradoxe selon lequel le Canada favorise le libre-échange au niveau mondial afin de tempérer les effets de la récession, et cherche à rendre l’ALENA plus efficace dans la réduction des obstacles au commerce continental, mais ne pratique pas toujours ce qu’il prêche à la maison. »
Knox, Crowley et Robson nous montrent que même si les obstacles internes au libre mouvement des personnes, produits, services et investissements sont difficiles à défendre en principe, ils prolifèrent à un tel rythme que personne n’essaie même de les énumérer complètement. Les estimés de leurs coûts économiques sont nécessairement approximatifs, mais ils confirment tout de même que ces barrières sont des irritants majeurs et dommageables.
Les auteurs démontrent encore que lors des débats entourant la Confédération, le pouvoir de prévenir ou d’enlever ces barrières fut clairement assigné au gouvernement fédéral, pour protéger notre citoyenneté commune ainsi que nos intérêts économiques. La jurisprudence sur ce point est claire: le gouvernement fédéral, du moment qu’il respecte les domaines de juridiction provinciale légitimes, possède le pouvoir d’enlever les barrières qui ont pour but ou impact principal un protectionnisme qui nuit à la liberté économique des Canadiens. Finalement, les auteurs démontrent que les approches alternatives, notamment les négociations interprovinciales, avec ou sans le gouvernement fédéral, n’arrivent pas à donner aux Canadiens les bénéfices auxquels ils ont droit.
« Notre recommandation est bonne pour tous les Canadiens et leurs gouvernements », affirme Crowley. « Cela veut dire une plus grande prospérité, un sens accru de nationalité commune, et un allégement du fardeau des gouvernements provinciaux et territoriaux. Il est grand temps d’agir. »
L’Institut Macdonald-Laurier est le seul institut national de politiques publiques non-partisan et indépendant établi à Ottawa dont le mandat inclut l’éventail complet des dossiers qui tombent sous la juridiction du gouvernement fédéral.
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Pour plus d’information, ou pour une demande d’entrevue avec les auteurs, prière de contacter le directeur des communications, George Young au george.young@macdonaldlaurier.ca ou Stephanie Delorme au 613-482-8327 ou stephanie.delorme@macdonaldlaurier.ca
Citoyen de l’une (en anglais, sommaire en anglais et en français) peut être téléchargé gratuitement sur le site internet de l’Institut, www.macdonaldlaurier.ca
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© 2021 Macdonald-Laurier Institute. All Rights reserved.